Kaolinite
Kaolinite is a gemsona created by N.R. Wynter. She is an old artisan gem who resides on Earth with her living sculptures. Appearance Kaolinite is a small gem with purplish gray skin. She has a square face, a boxy nose, and droopy eyes. Her white hair almost resembles a helmet with bangs and features visible gray layers underneath. This layering style is also found on the sleeves of her undershirt and the cuffs of her pants. She sports a white apron with a belt around her waist. On her feet are large dark gray boots which match her gloves. Her gem is on the back of her right hand. Personality Reclusive and timid, Kaolinite likes to keep to herself. She's soft spoken and prone to mumbling. While normally kind and friendly, she has social anxiety. Having too much social interaction makes her panicky. The only interaction she has had in years are semi-sentient sculptures.This isolation has made her incredibly lonely and socially awkward. Not one to make a lot of friends because she'd rather avoid conflict. Because her kind are mass produced, Kaolinite has low self esteem. She sees herself as uninteresting and plain, often comparing herself to the more beautiful and polished gems. To her, her existence is worthless and could easily be replaced. Having no confidence, she has a habit of being self-critical of herself and her work. Kaolinite works best by herself or in a small group. Hates taking risks, but will do it if the scenario calls for it. Abilities Kaolinite has standard gem abilities, including shape shifting, bubbling, summon weapons, and adapt to any extraterrestrial environment's gravity. She's efficient in handiness and precision, which work for her given occupation. However, she's not a skilled fighter. Skillset: * Hammer Proficiency: '''With heavy concentration and precision, Kaolinite can summon her weapon. Although having very little strength, Kaoilnite has great aim by looking for weak points. She can also summon her chisel and hit it at her opponents from a long distance. This move is rarely used because she cannot hit it far enough. * '''Enhanced Perception: Kaolinite can observe objects in great detail and from far away distances. This makes it easy for Kaolinite to access weaknesses in structures or opponents. * Enhanced Marksmanship: Her role as an artisan allows her to achieve great accuracy. This makes it easier for her to create details and patterns on pottery. Unique Abilities: * Clay Manipulation: Kaolinite's specialty. She has the power to create, mold, and move clay at will. This is what she uses to create her living sculptures. * Color Manipulation: Using the light from her gem, she can slowly change the color of her clay. She cannot perform this on other objects. * Earth Manipulation: A sub-ability for her clay manipulation. Kaolinite is capable of burrowing into the Earth and lift small or medium sized rocks. This is a recently discovered ability so she doesn't have a lot of control on it. History One of the many artisan gems on Homeworld, she was sent to Earth to make sculptures for the new structures. On her way there, she met the scientist Charoite who she became smitten by. When the gem war broke out, she ended up discovering him and his secret underground lab. She agreed to help him work on one of his experiments: to control gem shards that animate objects. Using Kaolinite's clay, the two were able to bring life to her sculptures. Kaolinite kept them supplied by her and Charoite's pearl, Quahog Pearl, going out and collecting gem shards (and sometimes whole gems) found on the battlefield. After the war was over, Kaolinite was collecting more gem shards when corrupted monsters attacked her. Trying to escape them, they managed to follow her back to the lab. Charoite ordered Kaolinite to take the experiments and flee. Leaving him behind, Kaolinite ran from the original sight, losing some of her gems along the way. She managed to get away, finding a new spot for a new lab. Sealing herself underground, she continued Charoite's work for over five thousand years. Recently, she emerged from the ground. The living sculptures she created have enough sentience for her to control and monitor. Kaolinite sends them out to collect more gem shards and learn what happened to Charoite. Relationships Charoite It was love at first sight. Kaolinite greatly admires Charoite's intelligence and charming demeanor. Spending time with him made her incredibly happy and she started to feel her existence meant something. Ever since she left the original lab, she's been incredibly lonely. A part of her hopes he's still out there safe and sound, but the other part knows this is wishful thinking. Quahog Pearl Kaolinite was fully aware that the pearl didn't like her. She didn't like Quahog Pearl either, but dealt with her insults because she was Charoite's possession. The artisan was completely unaware the pearl had planned to do away with her and was shocked when Quahog Pearl shattered. She brought her shards back figuring Charoite would mourn her loss. Kaolinite used the pearl's shards for her living sculpture. Doing so, as she believes, is further preserving Charoite's legacy. Blue Goldstone At first, Kaolinite was intimidated by his rather stoic persona, but began appreciating his company. She enjoys having conversations with him about the current state of affairs, on both Homeworld and Earth. Her Sculptures Kaolinite loves her creations deeply. She believes they are Charoite's legacy and will do whatever she can to preserve them. They are the only things that keep her going. She has created many sculptures over time and is willing to let some wander outside the lab. Sending them out makes her worry however and even though she can monitor them, she anxiously waits for their return. Trivia * She likes to accessorize the sculptures, giving them colors and designs based on their personalities. * Kaolinite has made other, non-living sculptures in her spare time. * When she's anxious, she usually rubs her hands or plays with a piece of clay. Mineralogy * Kaolinite is a common clay mineral, member of the Kaolinite-Serpentine Group. ** It has a chemical composition of Al2Si2O5(OH)4, a hardness of 2 - 2½, and a triclinic crystal system. * Because it's so soft it's very easy to break, mold, and shape, especially with water. * Kaolinite is composed of silica sheets that are bonded to aluminum oxide/hydroxide or gibbsite layers. They are formed by decomposition or weathering of feldspar minerals. ** These clay minerals are found in large masses or clay beds in hot, moist climates. * Kaolinites are usually white, but can come in other colors like beige, yellow, gray, and rarely blue gray. Iron oxide inclusions can make the colors turn tan, brown, orange, and reddish-brown. * It's considered an important industrial mineral for porcelain and ceramics. Kaolinite has additional uses like production of paper, pharmasectuicals, cosemtics, soaps, paint gloss, and toothpastes. * The name of this mineral comes from the word "kaolin" or "Kaoling". It's derived from "Gaoling" meaning "High Ridge", named after a Chinese village near Jingdezhen in southeastern China's Jiangxi Province. ** This is why an alternate name for kaolinite is China Clay. * Metaphysically, kaolinite is a helper stone. It provides assistance when approaching life's biggest obstacles. As an encouraging energy, it provides support and sympathy when the owner feels low. It also helps one from being discouraged, keeping them on their chosen path. Gemstone Gallery Kaolinite2.png|Kaolinite reference sheet. Category:Gems Category:Wyntergems Category:Clay Gems Category:Other Gems Category:Gray Category:Era 1 Gems